A railroad must often gather operational data, such as axle count, train weight, rail neutral temperature, rail longitudinal stress and number of wheel impacts on a particular section of track. One particular data gathering technique is to bore one or more holes into the web of a section of rail and insert a corresponding number of sensors. In order to ensure sensor measurement accuracy, these sensors must be inserted into the corresponding holes in the rail web with a “strong press fit” (e.g., a fit categorized in ISO Class H7/s6). However, existing techniques for creating holes through a rail web have not produced holes with the accurate diameters and smooth inner surfaces required for the strong press fit needed to ensure sensor accuracy.